EUROPEAN COUNCIL , 13 January 2010

THE PRESIDENT PCE 06/10

Remarks by , President of the European Council following the meeting with Mr Lawrence GONZI, Prime Minister of

Herman Van ROMPUY, President of the European Council, visited Valletta today to attend a meeting with Mr Lawrence GONZI, . The following is a summary of his remarks made to journalists at the end of the meeting:

"I am very pleased to be here in Valletta, for what has been a very productive discussion with Prime Minister Gonzi.

Two immediate challenges face us, which will require the full engagement of the EU at the highest level: tackling the economic crisis and responding to the climate change. In this regard I have convened a meeting of EU Heads of State or Government, on 11 February, to examine these two issues.

Securing full economic recovery in Europe is the key priority. We must overcome the challenges linked to this crisis whilst press ahead with the structural changes that we had embarked on under the Lisbon Strategy for jobs and growth. We must stimulate economic growth in order to finance our social model, to preserve what I call our "European Way of Life".

On climate change, which will be the other big dossier the EU needs to tackle in the coming months. The EU must continue to be a driving force in this field. There has been a lot of criticism about the outcome of Copenhagen. Let us be clear. Without the EU, the results of Copenhagen would have been significantly less. We will continue to play our part. That is why I have proposed P R E S S

FOR FURTHER DETAILS: Dirk De Backer - Spokesperson of the President  +32 (0)497 59 99 19 e-mail:[email protected]

Jesús Carmona - Deputy Spokesperson of the President  +32 (0)2 281 9548 / 6319  +32 (0)2 281 8026 e-mail:[email protected] - [email protected] internet: http://www.consilium.europa.eu that we also discuss the follow-up to Copenhagen at the 11 February informal European Council, both in terms of climate change as such and in terms of the strategic consequences arising out of the action of the various key players.

Prime Minister Gonzi and I have also discussed the issue of illegal immigration which is a source of particular concern for Malta, but also for the rest of the Union. The Prime Minister has outlined the special situation in Malta is due to the disproportionately large number of illegal immigrants, asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection that Malta receives. The European Council has repeatedly discussed this issue and has given important political guidance in addressing the issue of asylum and illegal immigration. Moreover, the establishment of the European Asylum Office in Malta will further help to address these sensitive issues. However, a lot remains to be done and we need to continue examining these issues in the European Council in the spirit of solidarity. As agreed in the European Council in October last year, the Council of June 2010 will hold a first debate on the implementation of the Asylum and Immigration Pact, as well as on the relevant measures of the Stockholm programme. This will be an opportunity to examine these issues in a more global and structural manner.

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